A new report has revealed that in more than 40% of cases police forces have cancelled their call for support from an National Police Air Service helicopter because the incident was over before the helicopter could arrive.

This comes as police leaders have been told they must make changes in the way the NPAS is used if it is to help forces improve their efficiency and effectiveness.

The investigation, undertaken by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), follows concerns from some police forces.

The National Police Chiefs Council invited HMICFRS to carry out an inspection of police air support provided by helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft and drones.

It incorporated information from all 43 police forces in England and Wales, as well as interviews with senior and front-line officers from 32 forces.

Cornwall is usually covered by the NPAS Exeter helicopter.

HM Inspector of Constabulary, Matt Parr, who led the inspection, said: "Among those who lead police aviation, we have found high levels of skill, dedication and commitment.

"In particular, we recognise the major contributions made by the members of the NPAS National Strategic Board and especially by the current chief constable of West Yorkshire Police and the police and crime commissioner for West Yorkshire.

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"However, we found some fundamental problems with the current collaborative arrangements for police air support, which have led us to conclude that urgent change is required – if not a fresh approach entirely.

The Devon and Cornwall Police helicopter

"A system whereby someone in Lincolnshire paid 5p towards police air support last year, whilst someone in Cleveland paid £1.98, is one that needs a coherent strategy.

"With the number of bases being halved and the number of aircraft being cut by a third in the last 10 years, savings have primarily been made by cutting the service provided to forces rather than increasing efficiency.

"An inconsistent service means that many incidents requiring air support are over before a police helicopter can arrive. Moreover, we are concerned that the police service now operates insufficient aircraft to provide a consistently prompt response to incidents in all forces in England and Wales."

Although a few forces received a quick response, many did not, with the average response to a crime in action that did not involve an immediate threat to life taking more than 30 minutes.

The report found that in more than 40% of cases, police forces cancelled their call for support from an NPAS helicopter because the incident was over before the helicopter could arrive.

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Although NPAS met its response time targets, this was due to these targets being too lenient and the fact that calls that did not result in aircraft attendance were not included in the assessment of response times.

On average, it took more than 10 minutes to dispatch an aircraft to the most urgent of calls and an average of almost 22 minutes to dispatch an aircraft to a crime in action.

The police helicopter (Image: Sally Adams)

The report highlights that although most forces have purchased drones, including Devon and Cornwall Police, no force has rigorously evaluated their use and, as a result, the police service has not developed a common view on their relative merit as a form of police air support.

This brings the risk that the service will lack the evidence it needs to capitalise on the developments in drone capability that the government anticipates will occur in the coming years.

HMICFRS makes a number of recommendations in the report which will need to be implemented before an up-to-date strategy can be developed:

A common understanding of demand should be developed.

Analysis should be undertaken of the differences in the use of air support tactics by different forces.

The NPCC lead for air support should carry out and publish a review of the NPAS deployment process.

Police and crime commissioners across England and Wales, who fund the operating costs of NPAS, should be consulted on a costed fleet replacement plan.

The current capital investment strategy means that there has been insufficient funding to replace the aging NPAS aircraft, with funding having been used to upgrade existing aircraft, rather than purchase new ones.

This approach has resulted in a number of aircraft nearing the end of their working life, without plans and funding for sufficient new aircraft being in place.

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The low and inconsistent levels of support provided by NPAS to police forces, the challenges around NPAS financing, the lack of an up-to-date strategy for police air support and weaknesses in governance have led to an urgent requirement for police leaders to revise the service.

The report concludes that, while a single collaboration between the 43 forces across England and Wales remains an appropriate way of providing effective and efficient police air support, revising existing arrangements may not be practical or offer an opportunity to look for fresh ways to provide agreed levels of service.

Police leaders are urged to consider the option of replacing the current collaboration agreement, to ensure that improved arrangements can be put into place within the next three years.